Going with the flow
As South Plains farmers stretch their precious water supply to the max, drip irrigation is gaining in acceptance across the South Plains.

Cotton ginners' school to spotlight new technology
The latest education and technology for those who want to improve their expertise will be available Monday through Wednesday during the annual Southwest Cotton Ginners' School at the USDA Agricultural Research Service north of Lubbock.

Cotton growers group also to meet
The emphasis will be on marketing, legislation and boll weevils Friday during the 42nd annual Plains Cotton Growers Association meeting in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.

Y2K fears to limit vacation time
CLEVELAND (AP) Save the champagne for another occasion. This New Year's Eve is going to be dry for thousands of workers pulling Y2K duty.

Fortune 500 profits decline
NEW YORK (AP) Profits at the Fortune 500 companies declined for the first time in seven years in 1998 as U.S. companies suffered the effects of the economic crisis in Asia, Russia and Latin America.

Plainview gains notice for its Y2K preparations
While Lubbock continues to garner accolades for being the first large city in the U.S. to address the Y2K problem, Plainview has begun to be recognized for its own preparations for the year 2000.

Tough Plea Bargains
CRIMINAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY Bill Sowder noted that public awareness has changed the nature of plea bargains in DWI fatality cases. Our thought is that it took the public too long to become aware.

Prairie Dog Plight
THE PRAIRIE DOG population's dwindling numbers across the country have the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considering placing them on the endangered species list. Such action could place a hardship on landowners in the South Plains where prairie dogs continue to thrive.

The Tomb Was Empty
PONTIUS PILATE, THE weak-willed Roman governor who bowed to the wishes of a mob and handed over Jesus Christ to be crucified, first tried to avoid pronouncing the death sentence and later, after the sentence had been carried out, took steps to keep Christ's body in the tomb.

Cartoon Movie Vices
WHEN ANIMATION PIONEER Walt Disney announced plans to produce the first full-length animated movie, he was ridiculed, and his project was called "Disney's Folly."

A Legendary Career
MONTEREY BASEBALL COACH Bobby Moegle is something of an institution in Lubbock. He has been at the helm of Monterey baseball for as long as many Hub City sports fans can remember.

LYSO chamber concert set for April 11
The Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra's Chamber Concert will be performed at 3 p.m. April 11 in room M01 at Texas Tech's School of Music. There is no admission charge, but donations are requested. Call 762-0460 for more details.

Author deconstructs Wyatt Earp's legend
Of the mythic figures that emerged from America's Old West, few possess the cachet of Wyatt Earp marshal, keeper of order, gunfighter of Clantons and McLaurys at the O.K. Corral, enforcer of civilization on a rugged and dangerous frontier.

William Kerns - Venue brings possibilities for outdoor shows
Don't look for the flash and comfort of, say, the multi-million dollar Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas. For that matter, don't expect anyone running the show to apply for a bank loan to immediately cover an estimated 100 grand in projected improvements.

Big book stores respond to criticisms
Well aware of their image as Monstro the whale gobbling up minnow-size retailers, Barnes & Noble and Borders Books & Music are doing all they can to emphasize how consumer-friendly they are.

Americans bring taiko to Lubbock
No Asian musicians will be featured when the rhythmic cadences of ancient Japanese taiko drums are played at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to entertain, enchant and educate at the International Cultural Center.

Ghostwriters gain popularity in publishing
That best-selling self-help book, that hot new biography, that eye-catching guide to gardening probably were not written by the persons whose names are on the book jackets.

Moreno emerges as audio empress
Lydia Espana has fond memories and big dreams as she dusts furniture and washes floors in the home of her wealthy employers.

Annual Slaton art show set for June 12
SLATON (Special) The 29th annual Exhibition Slaton Art Show, sponsored by the Women's Division of the Slaton Chamber of Commerce, will be held June 12 at the Texas Avenue Opry House, 161 Texas Ave.

Ballet Futura
This week's 21/2-hour dance program at the Texas Tech University Theatre called ''Ballet Futura, Before, Now and Always'' will conclude with the world premiere of a full-hour ballet called ''Twin Flame,'' choreographed by Peggy Willis-Aarnio.

Tascosa holds on in wild game with MHS
Tascosa senior Jason Bush got a good inkling Saturday afternoon for what Gen. George Custer must have felt when he looked around and realized he was all alone at the Little Big Horn.

Power Of Words
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat of the fruit thereof (Proverbs 18:21).

Role Model Article
In The A-J on March 1 on the "A Word in Edgewise" page, there was a discussion about role models.

Criticism Unfounded
The disrespect and hatred directed toward our local police never ceases to amaze me. I am disappointed, though not surprised, by the mean-spirited letters printed recently regarding the shooting of a local teen-ager.

Stopped By DPS
Re: The letter, "DPS Speeding Ticket" (A-J, 3-24). I would also like to vent some frustration from the experience I had on Feb. 23, 1999. I was on my way home from sales calls in New Mexico. I had my cruise control set on 62 mph (I have oversized tires on my pickup, therefore 62 mph equals 70 mph). I had passed by one DPS and he went right by, no violation.

Curb Child Abuse
In Texas during 1998, 176 children died from abuse and neglect, a 71 percent increase from last year. Seventy-five percent were children age 3 and under! With the alarming increase of child abuse, it is critical for people to become involved.

Take Care Of Town
As a resident of Littlefield and an employee of a cotton growers denim plant, I can easily say that Littlefield may someday soon become more of a ghost town, if drastic changes are not made.

Prairie Dog Status
The articles on the prairie dogs were interesting (A-J, 3-23, 3-24). Putting the prairie dog on the endangered species list is wrong.

Mistaken Identity
I would like to comment on the "20/20" television broadcast (3-29) about Lubbock and the Hampton coaches.

Cut Kosovo Funds
I want to express my disgust with President Clinton in his decision to interfere in Kosovo. President Clinton did not find a "moral imperative" to go fight in the Vietnam civil war. Why in the world is there a moral imperative to interfere with the people in Kosovo and their civil war?

Explosion Examined
When we see disaster hit others, we never think that your very own family could be next. The unbelievable can strike anyone when least expected.

Student Project
I am a fifth grade student in California. My class is studying the United States. We are working on putting together state reports, and I have chosen your state to research. I am writing in hopes that you will publish my letter for citizens in the Lubbock area to read.

Officers Criticized
I don't believe that the Hampton coach issue is an issue of racism. In my opinion, this is an issue of closed-minded, ignorant police officers who presumed guilt prior to investigation.

Video game of the week
As an eerie mist envelops Harry Mason's car, you can feel you're getting involved in something special. By the time the introduction is over and you've taken your first steps into Silent Hill, you are a prisoner of one of the finest horror games ever offered.

Racism ignores individuality
Racism is defined as prejudice against (or for) a person on the basis of skin color. I have seen racism against people of every color: white, black, and Hispanic. It is not something limited to one group of people. It is something which cannot be changed all at once but must be looked at one person at a time.

Racism still alive in schools
Racism, a potent topic, is always present in our society, no matter how much we try to hide it. Even at the high school level, teens are constantly made aware of racial issues.

For skiing buddies, Lake Tahoe trip provides a lift
LAKE TAHOE, Calif. It was one of those epiphanies that come with a few good lungfuls of clean mountain air, an amazing view and, if you're a powder hound like me, a glorious ski trail piled high with virgin snow at your feet. Why the heck hadn't I done this years earlier?

HSC, UMC struggle to heal break in trust
Friction, frustration, mistrust and misperception.
These terms fairly describe the relationship between the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Medicine and University Medical Center; two institutions intertwined by legislative decree, history and economics, yet split by mutual suspicion and competing interests.

Publisher finds education, politics comic
(EDITOR'S NOTE The following article appeared in the Feb. 10, 1924, edition of the Lubbock Morning Avalanche as part of the "Early Days on the Plains" series and was written by James J. Dillard, founder of the newspaper. In this, the ninth installment of a 25-part series, he offers a somewhat humorous anecdote of his experiences as a teacher at the old Groves School in Lubbock, as well as incidents in Lubbock during and after the election campaigns, both regional and national, of 1896).
The Bean ranch house, a dugout and 'dobe building, was on section 6, block D-2, about 14 miles northwest of Lubbock, instead of northeast as I was made to say in last week's issue.

Debates on Social Security hit home
Proposed changes to the Social Security system being debated in Congress could affect more than just the elderly beneficiaries in each community, they could be felt throughout the local economy.

Woman collides with Lubbock police officer
A Lubbock woman was cited for drunken driving early Saturday after a collision with a Lubbock police car at the intersection of 50th Street and Slide Road, according to a police report.

Child causes apartment fire
A child playing with a lighter caused an apartment fire Saturday night that displaced eight residents of the unit, a fire department investigator said.

Next Door - Wylene Howard
Wylene Howard knows how frightening breast cancer can be that's why she's dedicated to her work as a volunteer with Reach to Recovery.

Engineering memories
Three World War II engineers met in Lubbock recently to remember how they helped delay the German army's advance during the crucial Battle of the Bulge by felling trees, blowing up tanks and blocking roads.

Parents outraged at change
Parents of Springlake-Earth Junior High School students say they are outraged by the prospect of school officials moving their children into the district's elementary school to save money.
In response, the district will hold a public hearing at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday at the district's administration offices about halfway between Springlake and Earth on U.S. 70.

TV show features missing 6-year-old
SAGINAW {AP} Volunteers have joined the search for missing 6-year-old Opal Jo Jennings, and her disappearance was mentioned on a national television show.

Chinese premier ready for U.S. visit
BEIJING {AP} Outrage among Chinese over NATO bombing in Yugoslavia, U.S. condemnation of China's human rights abuses, accusations in Congress of concerted Chinese espionage and possible mobs of American protesters all these could not keep Premier Zhu Rongji from visiting the United States.

Nell Lyda
Services for Nell V. Lyda, 76, of Lubbock will be at 2 p.m. today at Chapel of Angels Funeral Home with the Rev. Barry Tilley officiating.

James Hoover
HOBBS, N.M. (Special) Services for James Hoover, 83, of Hobbs will be at 1 p.m. Monday in Lane Chapel CME Church with the Rev. Jacob Colbert officiating.

Roy Heath
Services for Roy D. Heath, 90, of Lubbock will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Broadway Church of Christ Chapel with Jerry Martin and Horace Coffman officiating.

Millyann Brown
Services for Millyann Alice Smith Brown, 95, of Mount Pleasant will be at 10 a.m. today in the Abbey Chapel at Resthaven Funeral Home with the Rev. Joe Lee officiating.

Bernadine Schwenke
HOBBS, N.M. (Special) Rosary for Bernadine Schwenke, 89, of Hobbs will be at 7 p.m. today in Chapel of Hope. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday in St. Helena Catholic Church with the Revs. Jose Reyes and Maurus Hauer officiating.

Velma Calder
ANDREWS (Special) Services for Velma Calder, 86, of Andrews will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Calvary Baptist Church with the Rev. Mike Henson, pastor, officiating.

Michael Wilson
NEW DEAL (Special) Services for Michael Shane Wilson, 24, of New Deal will be at 11 a.m. Monday in First Church of the Nazarene with the Rev. David Menefee, pastor, officiating.

Dona Sedgwick
EAGLE LAKE (Special) Services for Dona L. Sedgwick, 49, of Eagle Lake will be at 10 a.m. today in First Baptist Church with the Rev. Brent Beasley, pastor, officiating.

Jackie Buffaloe
SEMINOLE (Special) Graveside services for Jackie Buffaloe, 54, of Seminole will be at 3 p.m. Monday in Fairview Cemetery in Midland with the Rev. David Moore of First Assembly of God Church officiating.

Beulah Friedman
Graveside services for Beulah M. Lusk Friedman, 92, of Lubbock will be at 10 a.m. today in Resthaven Memorial Park with David Peebles officiating.

Dorothy Nance
LEVELLAND (Special) Services for Dorothy Faye Nance, 67, of Sundown will be at 4 p.m. Monday in Fairview Baptist Church with the Rev. Glenn Reese, pastor, officiating.

Ricardo Silva and Angelica Silva
MERKEL (Special) Services for Ricardo Hernandez Silva, 10, and Angelica Juanita Silva, 8, both of Lubbock will be at 2 p.m. today in Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church with the Rev. Tim Guthridge officiating.

William Hatler
MONAHANS (Special) Services for the Rev. William H. Hatler, 60, of Monahans will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Southside Baptist Church with the Rev. Jimmy Law officiating and at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Peaceful Gardens Chapel in Lubbock.

I.D. Rhodes
HEREFORD (Special) Services for I.D. "Dusty" Rhodes, 75, of Hereford will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Hereford Church of the Nazarene with pastor Ted Taylor officiating.

Ricardo Silva
MERKEL (Special) Rosary for Ricardo Hernandez Silva, 10, and Angelica Juanita Silva, 8, both of Lubbock will be at 7 p.m. today in Starbuck Funeral Home. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church with the Rev. Tim Guthridge officiating.

Juanita Hernandez
MERKEL (Special) Rosary for Juanita Rosas Hernandez, 68, of Merkel will be at 7 p.m. today in Starbuck Funeral Home. Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church with the Rev. Tim Guthridge officiating.

W.E. Hancock
Services for W.E. Hancock, 97, of Lubbock will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Oakwood Baptist Church with the Rev. Cleve Haley and J.C. McClesky officiating.

Johnnie Hogg
O'DONNELL (Special) Services for Mrs. Johnnie P. Hogg, 90, of Big Spring will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church in O'Donnell with Brad Snellgrove officiating and Richard Rush, pastor, assisting.

Robert Long
SLATON (Special) Services for Robert E. Long, 91, of Slaton will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday in the Church of Christ with Jack Gordon, minister, officiating.

Jewell Dunn
LITTLEFIELD (Special) Services for Jewell Mae Dunn, 89, of Littlefield will be at 10 a.m. Monday at First Baptist Church in Littlefield with the Rev. Strauss Atkinson of Amarillo officiating and the Rev. Joe Stewart assisting.

Earl Cunningham
LEVELLAND (Special) Services for Earl Cunningham, 79, of Las Vegas, Nev., will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Geo. C. Price Funeral Directors Chapel with the Rev. Clyde Blakeley, pastor of First Christian Church in Levelland, officiating.

Elzey Hobbs
LITTLEFIELD (Special) Services for Elzey Lee Hobbs, 76, of Littlefield will be at 2 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church in Littlefield with Rev. Benny Goss officiating and assisted by Rev. Joe Stewart.

Morlow Dees
PLAINVIEW (Special) Services for Morlow Dees, 83, of Plainview will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Lemons Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Don Robertson, pastor of College Heights Baptist Church, officiating.

Nicolasa Martinez
O'DONNELL (Special) Rosary for Nicolasa Martinez, 76, of O'Donnell will be at 7 p.m. today at St. Pius X Catholic Church.

Juanita Hernandez
MERKEL (Special) Services for Juanita Rosas Hernandez, 68, of Merkel will be at 2 p.m. today in Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church with the Rev. Tim Guthridge officiating.

Naomi Harper
ANTON (Special) Funeral services for Naomi B. Harper, 89, of Anton will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church with the Rev. Rush Coffman, pastor, officiating.

Rangers relying on Helling
ARLINGTON (AP) Rick Helling went into last season as the sixth starter in the Texas Rangers' five-man rotation. He goes into this season as the team's ace.

Sonics hanging hopes on Baker return
PORTLAND, Ore. {AP} There's a morsel of good news for the Seattle SuperSonics in what has been their most disappointing season of the '90s: Vin Baker is getting close to returning.

Rockies open season with a bang
MONTERREY, Mexico {AP} As America's pastime opened for the first time in Mexico, it was a festive evening for everyone except the defending NL champion San Diego Padres.

Treasurer's notice under investigation
CARLSBAD, N.M. {AP} State officials are investigating if Eddy County's treasurer broke the law by attaching a postscript urging residents to vote against a mill levy to a tax notice.

Investigation slows for Easter
ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. {AP} A scaled down crew of investigators remained on the job over the Easter weekend to investigate leads in a bizarre case in which two women said they were sexually tortured.

Woman on Easter pilgrimage killed by car
SHIPROCK, N.M. {AP} A woman who braved wind, rain and snow to partake in the annual 15-mile Good Friday walk was killed instantly after a drunken driver apparently swerved into a group of pilgrims, police said.

FBI wraps up crime scene in torture case
ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. {AP} Investigators have nearly finished collecting evidence from a rural residence where two women claimed they were chained and sexually tortured, the FBI said.

Marching on to Zion
JERUSALEM {AP} At the Via Dolorosa's third station, where tradition says Jesus stumbled with the cross, the voices rose up in somber unison. "Our father, who art in heaven ...," dozens of Roman Catholics from the United States intoned, beginning the Lord's Prayer.

Witnessing the Resurrection
Churches throughout western Christen-dom today are filled with worshippers celebrating the Resurrection, the event that turned a rag-tag band of frightened followers of Jesus into bold witnesses.
Jesus of Nazareth was not the first, nor would he be the last acclaimed as the Hebrew ''messiah'' or savior.

General Challenge tops field
ARCADIA, Calif. General Challenge and Private Timber gave trainer Bob Baffert his second consecutive 1-2 finish in the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday.

One horse at a time
When Eric Swenson climbed aboard Beutler & Gaylord Rodeo Company's Phantom during the third performance of the ABC Pro Rodeo, he wasn't thinking about how the ride would figure into his bid for a second NFR qualification or winning a world championship.

Catching up to Gambel's quail no easy task for hunters
While the Lone Star State is home to plenty of bobwhite quail and scaled quail, only one region is home to the Gambel's the arid, rock- and sand-covered desert terrain of the Trans-Pecos in far West Texas. Gambel's are also found in similar desert country in northern Mexico and the southern regions of Arizona, New Mexico and California.

Renamed track opens for season
The renamed Lubbock Motor Speedway is scheduled to open its 1999 auto racing season today with play-day activities at the track on 114th Street east of Martin Luther King Boulevard. Gates will open at 1 p.m.

Texas Tech baseball notes
Texas Tech's 11-run second inning tied the team record for most runs during a single inning. The record was set two years ago in a lopsided 31-3 victory over College of the Southwest.

Red Raiders rebound with Iowa St. sweep
After spending a weekend feeling like they could do nothing right, the Texas Tech baseball team closed its Big 12 Conference series with Iowa State feeling like it could do almost nothing wrong.

NASA offer to keep space station on track
HOUSTON {AP} NASA is set to offer Russia another $100 million this week in an attempt to keep the international space station project on track, the Houston Chronicle reports in Sunday editions.

Duncan's bill aims to keep kids off streets
AUSTIN Businesses could earn franchise tax credits by funding programs designed to keep students off the streets when school isn't in session under a bill by Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock.

Hearing reset in dragging death case
JASPER {AP} Prosecutors have changed a pre-trial hearing for dragging death suspect Lawrence Russell Brewer because the original date falls on the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and the fire at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, authorities said Saturday.

Investigation into O'Hair's disappearance leads to ranch search
CAMP WOOD {AP} The FBI brought in additional heavy equipment Saturday to help search parts of a 5,000-acre South Texas ranch, searching for clues to the 1995 disappearance of atheist leader Madalyn Murray O'Hair, her son, her granddaughter and $500,000 in gold coins.

Dignitaries to witness prisoner transfer
CAIRO, Egypt {AP} Arab and African dignitaries began arriving in Libya on Sunday to witness the handover of two suspects in the 1988 Pan Am bombing, a sign their extradition is imminent.

Chinese dissident wants to visit father's grave
BEIJING {AP} A veteran Chinese dissident who slipped out of China to avoid arrest for his political activism headed home Sunday to pay respects at his father's grave and test a blacklist of exiled activists.

Taiwan's former premier visits China
TAIPEI, Taiwan {AP} A former Taiwanese premier departed for China on Saturday to visit his ancestral home, his first trip back since fleeing the mainland 50 years ago amid civil war.

Muslims, Christians clash on Easter Sunday
NAZARETH, Israel (AP) Easter Sunday turned violent in the town of Jesus' boyhood when clashes erupted between Christians and Muslims, angry over the planned construction of a plaza for millennium Christian pilgrims near a mosque.
Thousands of young Muslim men gathered at the disputed site near the Church of the Annunciation, where Muslims have been holding protests for nearly a year.

NATO raid wipes out key bridge
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) NATO bombs destroyed another key bridge over the Danube, Serbian television reported Saturday, as Italian troops prepared to go to Albania to aid refugees pouring out of Kosovo in catastrophic numbers.
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's forces have purged Kosovo of 300,000 ethnic Albanians so far, with perhaps an equal number soon to follow. The sea of misery threatened to destabilize neighboring states, already struggling to provide the refugees with basic necessities such as food, water and shelter.

NATO hits Serbian oil facilities
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) NATO warplanes and missiles attacked an army headquarters, oil refineries and other targets in and around Belgrade on Sunday, while Yugoslav forces drove toward Kosovo's western mountains where ethnic Albanian guerrillas were preparing a last stand.
Some refugees overwhelming neighboring regions were flown to European countries as relief agencies and Western nations struggled to help the more than 300,000 people forced out of Kosovo.

Mexicans focus anger on U.S.-owned factories
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico {AP} Anger over the killings of dozens of young women in this border city is being directed at the largely U.S.-owned or operated factories that employed many of the victims, as well as the bus drivers who allegedly preyed on them.